Jasprit Bumrah delivered a fiery spell with the ball and an equally sharp response off the field on Friday, showing visible irritation when asked once again about his workload management after India bundled South Africa out for 159 on Day 1 of the first Test at Eden Gardens.
Bumrah, who claimed a brilliant 5 for 27 on a dry but unpredictable surface, was in no mood to entertain renewed chatter over his playing schedule — a debate that has intensified since he was rested for two Tests during the England tour earlier this year.
“I try to give my best in whichever format I play,” Bumrah said firmly at the post-day press conference. “These questions are not my questions; I will not answer them. I try to play as much as I can. I try to take care of my body.”
The India pace spearhead has faced scrutiny from sections of the cricket fraternity over what some critics have called “picking matches,” especially after a back spasm prevented him from bowling on the final day of the Sydney Test earlier in the year. His rotation during the England series — missing the second and fifth Tests, both of which India won — further fuelled those claims.
On Friday, Bumrah pushed back strongly, highlighting that he has been playing consistently across formats. Since the England tour, he has featured in the Asia Cup T20Is, the home Tests against West Indies, and the T20Is in Australia, sitting out only the ODI leg of that series.
“I try to give my best in each and every format… Rest, question-answer sessions — whoever wants to play, they can play. I’m happy as far as I’m able to contribute and learn new things,” he said.
Despite India fielding four spinners for the first time in a home Test since 2012, it was Bumrah who ripped through South Africa’s lineup on a pitch offering uneven bounce.
“Whenever you play in India, spinners usually take a lot of wickets. So whenever you make an impact with limited spells, it feels good,” he said.
The star pacer also explained the tactical adjustments needed on a surface where one ball kicked and the next stayed low.
“Patience is the first lesson in Test cricket. If you go searching for magic balls, runs come too fast. You have to control your temptation and build pressure,” Bumrah said. “When the ball is hard, everything happens quickly — seam, swing, up-and-down bounce. Once it gets softer, things settle, and you have to adapt.”
South Africa’s batting coach Ashwell Prince attributed their collapse in part to the conditions, calling it “the challenge of Test cricket” and emphasising that teams must adapt to extreme variations across countries.
But on a day of chaos for the visitors, it was Bumrah’s controlled aggression — with both ball and words — that dominated the narrative at Eden Gardens.
